Friday, 15 August 2008 |
The name Gary Fernández
has started to appear often enough to warrant a closer look. Fernández
is a freelance illustrator and graphic artist based in Madrid, Spain,
and currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His client
list is impressive, ranging from advertising heavies DDB, McCann
Erickson, JWT and Grey to superbrands such as Coca Cola, Nokia and
Camel. His illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines and books.
Fernández’s intricate, retro-esque illustrations marry a liquid
stroke with a rigid tension, which in turn projects an underlying
seething mood and latent danger. For some reason, I’m thinking Dadaism
and Salvador Dali mixed with the sixties’ London vibes and New York’s
retro fashion illustrations. At the same time, some of his work is
almost whimsical and merry; evoking images from Cirque du Soleil and
old European circus posters. Whatever you see, you are irresistibly
drawn into his world.
A fantastic recent example is his elaborate illustration book titled
Introduction to Fantastic Girls, Future Landscapes & the Most
Beautiful Birds Ever Seen, available -- possibly -- on his site in
limited quantities.
Gary Fernández is also the founder and creative lead of the T-shirt brand VelvetBanana.
The name VelvetBanana draws its parts from The Velvet Underground and
Andy Warhol’s “banana cover” for their first album The Velvet
Underground and Nico (1967).
Fernández started VelvetBanana in 2005 with the goal of redefining the
“Art Rock T-shirt” by producing thematic collections. The themes
capture certain moods, songs or bands. The latest, Collection #3, is
described as having “electrifying, abrasive, furious and hypnotic
graphics full of energy” although the photo book of the collection
appears indoorsy and tame, with clean yet fashionably brooding models
photographed against a pristine white background. The T-shirts are
available at Urban Outfitters blog.urbanoutfitters.com among others .- Tuija Seipell
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Gary Fernández 
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